Chief Scout Bear Grylls

Bear Grylls, 34, will be youngest Chief Scout. Robert Baden-Powell, who wrote and illustrated, Scouting for Boys, the first Scout manual, was selected to be the first Chief Scout in 1920.

Bear Grylls replaces Peter Duncan, best known for hosting Blue Peter, a long-running BBC children’s television show, during the 1980’s. Grylls will be assisted by volunteer Wayne Bulpitt, who will serve as Chief Commissioner.

“I feel hugely honoured to be asked to take up this role as Chief Scout — it really is a dream come true. I hope I can use this post to encourage masses of adults in the UK to volunteer as leaders.”

Waiting To Be Scouts

There are over 33,000 youngsters waiting to be scouts in UK. The Scout Association needs an additional 6,600 volunteers to admit them. Only 2,600 adults joined as volunteers last year, so appointing Bear Grylls, who became a Cub Scout, when he was 8, was a brilliant idea.